Designer Rugs Evolve Competition Winners Announced

In a festive environment at the recently renovated Designer Rugs Leichardt showroom, the Evolve Competition Award Winners were announced to an enthusiastic industry crowd, prompting surprise and delight from the winners.

First prize went to ‘Hellenic Dreaming’ by Giuliana Corallo of Peddle Thorp Architects, with judges impressed by its aesthetic strength, evocative of mediterranean mosaic, and point of difference.

Corallo says of her design, “Hellenic Dreaming is inspired by the vibrancy and character of the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini. The deep blues of the Aegean sea, the rich golden sunsets, and the crisp whites are reflected in the striking colour palette. Highlights of Bamboo silk create a sense of luxury and indulgence. The design evokes a sense of life, joy and vibrancy, transporting one to the exotic Mediterranean.”

Corallo is a Graduate of Architecture, currently working at Peddle Thorp Architects. Determined to pursue a career in Design and Architecture from a young age, she completed her Masters in Architecture in 2013 at Monash University, and enjoys experimenting with texture and pattern in her designs, drawing inspiration from her travels and in particular, the diverse and rich cultural heritage of Southern Europe. With her win of the 2015 Design Rugs Evolve Awards, Giuliana is excited to visit the Milan Design Fair in 2016, and have her career boosted by being promoted through Designer Rugs’ industry network.

Second prize was awarded to ‘Eiffel’ by Sally Birch of Greg Natale Design, with judges praising its graphic refinement and contemporary colour choices.

Birch says of her design, “Eiffel is a geometric rug design which plays on colour and symmetry. It is structured and symmetrical, reminiscent of tower itself, however colour has been used to break the confinement of its symmetry, creating a bold spirited rug. Suiting both modern and classic interiors, Eiffel has been created in fresh colour palette of navy, mint green, sky blue and deep rich lilacs. Eiffel is sophisticated and far from shy, Eiffel is designed to be memorable.”

Having completed a Bachelor of Interior Design (Hons) at UTS, Birch has worked for several award winning practices including Woods Bagot and Idiom Design Practice. For the past five years Birch has been working for Greg Natale Design as a Senior Interior Designer where she has enjoyed working on a broad range of Residential and Commercial projects as well as being involved in the design and development of many of the products such as tiles, wallpaper, furniture and rugs that form a part of the Greg Natale brand.

The People’s Choice Award went to Daniel Malik for his eye-tricking ‘Black Hole’ design. Making intelligent use of optical illusion, ‘Black Hole’ is a bold and adventurous exploration that pushes the boundaries of rug design.

Malik says, “The inspiration for my rug developed from the desire to broaden the perceived limitations of a medium. The rug as a medium needs not be restricted to two dimensions. Inspired by perspective street artists, I wanted to add a new dimension to rug design. From most angles the rug aims to be geometrically interesting, but from the right angle the rug truly attracts intrigue as it transforms into a 3 dimensional BLACK HOLE. After a lot of experimentation, I concluded that the simple, fluid and inward projection would prove most convincing. Applied knowledge of 3D modelling, graphic design, photography and general good design principles were necessary for the production of the final design.”

Malik is a young architect dedicated to and passionate about creativity. Expression of creativity through design drives the way in which he observes, analyses and produces for the world around him. He looks to constantly broaden his skill set and knowledge of various design disciplines, from visual communication, photography and film, product design and design for the web to architecture. Malik’s view is that ingenuity in any one field of design often comes from being able apply borrowed principles from other industries. He currently works at alphaplus architecture, specialising in architectural design for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as broader corporate architecture.